Did you know that this Wednesday is International Women’s Day? We are very fortunate as a squad to have so many strong, powerful, and inspiring females, as well as one of the highest percentages of females in a squad.
We decided that one day to celebrate women wasn’t enough, so we’ll be celebrating and highlighting a few women in the squad all week!
How long have you been doing triathlon?
I started doing triathlons just on 10 years ago now, following some huge personal changes. I moved into Elwood, was a bit lost and looking for direction and friends at
work suggested I try the Elwood thing – triathlon!
I started at the very bottom. I could run, I could ride a bike (barely…I mean, don’t ask me to take my hands off, get a drink or change gears!), but I could NOT swim. I could splash about and keep my head above water, but I had never swum laps and certainly no open water swimming. I literally started with a 20min trial in the bay and almost gave up the idea of triathlon before it even started. I headed for the 25m, waist deep pool and began training…a little. So, I thought I’d start with a female-only, pool-swim triathlon, to dip my toe in. And I didn’t hate it! From there I wanted to challenge myself a bit more. I wanted to do a ‘real’ triathlon. So, I set my sights on the mini triathlons. Tick and tick. Two down and still didn’t hate it. Was actually starting to quite like it. Time to work up to the Sprint Tri. I joined up to the Try the Tri program, chose the more challenging race in the series, spent the night in hospital 2 days before the event but got to the start line (felt like I would vomit from nerves) and YAY…got it done! It wasn’t pretty, I wasn’t fast, but I didn’t drown, and the endorphins were high.
The following weekend (still buzzing from my achievement) I watched Ironman Melbourne from the side lines. No idea what Ironman was. Still no real idea what triathlon really was. But at that finish line that day, wrapped up in the hype of the crowd I said to myself…I’m going to do that! It was the perfect time in my life to set myself a huge goal, something that was so big that I didn’t even know if it was possible for me to achieve it. And so began the wheels in motion to complete an Ironman.
From that point I put a plan in place and got the right people around me. Over the next 12 months I worked through technique sessions, strength sessions, training camps, a winter training block, workshops, sprint races, 70.3s, a marathon and found myself on the start line of my first Ironman (Melbourne 2014).
Fast forward 3 years*, and I had worked my way from finisher, to middle of the pack finisher, to top 10, to the pointy end, to podium places, and then on to the finish line of the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii 2017. One of my greatest achievements in life and still gives me goosebumps thinking about it.
Which is your favourite discipline in a triathlon?
No question…running! My race starts once I get out of the water. I use the bike to work my way through the pack, and the run is where I just let go and fall into the rhythm. It’s where I can be free and think. I can solve many problems on a training run and look out if the tunes are pumping. Fancy footwork at its best!
Have you had to overcome any barriers in the sport?
Definitely! I think everyone has their own story to tell about what they overcome to reach that finish line. And everyone has something. But it’s what makes us stronger.
Initially, it was the fear of the unknown. I remember being so naive about absolutely everything! I didn’t know what to wear, what to eat, what to do, who to listen to, what chaffing felt like…I even completely underestimated how long a session would take (I once asked someone if I could park my car in a 2-hour zone for a 130km hill ride….it took me 8 hours btw). The whole thing was a huge learning curve. Endurance events are a beast, and you never stop learning.
Another hurdle I’ve had to overcome is swimming. I said I began right from the bottom, and I’ve had to work hard (really hard) at getting better. But one thing many people don’t know about me, is that I’ve also had to work on the mental side of swimming. I have suffered panic attacks in the open water before, and they can be tough. It’s not because I’m scared of what’s in the water (I don’t love jellies but they’re ok), it’s not because I don’t know how to swim (I’m in a wetsuit so I know I’m not going to sink) and it’s not because I can’t swim for distance (I’ve done 6 x Ironman’s and copious amounts of training…I’ve done the kms). That’s the thing about panic attacks – sometimes they just happen. I’ve worked on strategies to manage if it does happen. But I never know. So that’s an ongoing one for me.
What is your favourite inspiring quote?
“The harder I train, the luckier I get”.
Refer to * for the explanation. This one used to fire me up and I still shake my head when I hear people say, “oh, you’re so lucky”. Or “it’s because they get all the luck”. That’s a copout. And it completely devalues the effort put in to reap the rewards. There are no short cuts in life. Put in the work, do the time and earn your place.
“This too shall pass”.
Many a time did I have to say this to myself over and over again during a training session. That pain, discomfort, head wind is not forever. It will end. And once it does, you will be ok. It kept me in the moment, knowing what I am doing is temporary, but the results are long lasting.
“I will do today what others won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t”.
100% agree. You cannot expect to achieve results that you didn’t work for. It also helps to build the confidence that you can do this. You should get out the door and train, even if it’s cold, dark, early, wet (insert any excuse here), as once that time passes you have lost the opportunity to get the session done.
What is something your fellow tri friends don’t know about you?
I guess many of my tri buddies wouldn’t know that prior to triathlon I was a calisthenics girl for 20 years! You can look that one up but think ballet/gymnastics/jazz/dance all rolled into one. And don’t forget the fake tan, eyelashes, big hair and sequins. Huge commitment, lots of precision training, team competitions (big stage, judges, lights, camera, action) and did I mention the costumes! A far cry from triathlon, but I actually can credit a lot of my lower limb and core strength to year of calisthenics training growing up.
* Now saying “fast forward” is a bit of an understatement. It actually took a lot of work, dedication and sacrifice to get to where I did and to reach the goals I set for myself along the way. I am not a natural athlete. But I worked at it. I built training age, experience, skills, and strength over time. I rode the highs and lows of endurance sport. There were hard days, and there were even harder days. There were long hours and injuries and being tired, hungry, and emotional. But there was also comradery and laughs and growth. There was strength on a level I could never have imagined, both physically and mentally. And those years have taught me so much. It’s not only about sport. It’s about people and life and yourself. I am really grateful that I had the courage to take that first step into triathlon. It has helped shaped the person I am today.
